The Broadway Musical Blog – Musical theater news and gossip from the Great White Way
Dishing out daily (or almost daily) Broadway musical news and gossip. The companion site to The Broadway Musical Home (broadwaymusicalhome.com), a directory of Broadway musicals with the story, songs, merchandise, video clips, lyrics, tickets, rights & awards for almost 200 shows.Archive for Gossip
A casting, gossip and news round-up for October
Finian’s Rainbow opens tonight on Broadway
The Broadway revival of Finian’s Rainbow opens on Broadway tonight, October 29, 2009. Starring Jim Norton (The Seafarer) as Finian, Kate Baldwin (Wonderful Town) as Sharon, Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu) as Woody, and Christopher Fitzgerald (Young Frankenstein) as Og, we’re looking to see how the public responds to the show.
For years it was thought to be an unrevivable show due to its racist content, but with a reworking of the book and songs like “Old Devil Moon,” “If This isn’t Love” and “How are Things in Glocca Morra?,” we think it more than deserves a another run on the Great White Way.
Going to see it? Interested in writing a review for the blog here? Contact me!
Promises, Promises to star Chenoweth and Hayes; opens March 25
Producers have announced that Promises, Promises will officially star Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. This will be the first ever revival of the musical, will open at the Broadway Theater on March 25.
With a book by Neil Simon, music by Burt Bacharah and lyrics by Hal David, the show will mark Hayes first appearance on Broadway and Chenoweth’s happy return. The original 1968 production played 1,268 performances on Broadway, was nominated for 8 Tony awards and awarded a Grammy.
Run DMC musical eyeing Broadway
Hollywood producer Paula Wagner is working with the rappers Joseph Simmons (Run) and Darryl McDaniels (DMC) and the estate of Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) about creating a stage musical about Run DMC’s road to fame.
No dates, casting or other collaborators have yet been announced.
Mary Murphy to make guest appearance in Burn the Floor
Mary Murphy from Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” will make a one-night-only guest star appearance in Broadway’s Burn the Floor on December 22, partnering with ballroom champion Vaidas Skimelis.
Katie Holmes may star in the stage musical version of Cocktail
Rumors are flying that Katie Holmes may be under consideration for a starring role in the Broadway musical version of the 80s movie, Cocktail, that is being penned for the stage by Heywood Gould – the original author and screenwriter. Producer Marty Richards is on board and though Gould said “it’s far too early to talk about casting,” he did mention he “like[s] Katie Holmes.”
Little Miss Sunshine musical workshop stars Bierko, Latessa and Rene Scott
The stage musical version of Little Miss Sunshine is workshopping with stars Craig Bierko (Guys and Dolls, The Music Man), Dick Latessa (Hairspray, Damn Yankees), and Sherie Rene Scott (The Little Mermaid, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aida) in Florida right now.
The adaptation of the 2006 film features a score by William Finn with book and direction by James Lapine.
We can only hope it’s good-enough to take to Broadway with those names on board.
Judy and Sayle to star in the Broadway-aimed A Christmas Story, The Musical!
Later this month, another production eyeing Broadway, A Christmas Story, The Musical!, will open out-of-town. The cast features talent with many Broadway shows under their belts, including James Judy (The Scarlet Pimpernel), Zachary Carter Sayle (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), John Bolton (Curtains, Spamalot) and Anne L. Nathan (Assassins, Sunday in the Park with George).
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Mamma Mia, Bye Bye Birdie and South Pacific In the News
The Good
Mamma Mia, the 13th longest running show in Broadway history, celebrated 8 years on Broadway yesterday, Oct 18!
The musical currently stars Beth Leavel, John Dossett, Judy McLane, Allison Briner, Halle Morse, Michael Mindlin, Patrick Boll, Alyse Alan Louis, David Andrew Macdonald and Eric William Morris.
The Bad
Bye Bye Birdie, which opened on Oct 15, was panned by reviewers in almost every media publication:
- They Can’t Sing (Don’t Ask Them)
- A flightless “Birdie”
- Critics wish ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ was more than just a title
- ‘Bye Bye Birdie’: No reason to put on a happy face
- “Bye Bye Birdie” returns to Broadway with a thud
- ‘Bird’-brained revival flops
The consensus – the bulk of the cast can’t sing, dance or act. Ouch!
The Ugly
The New York Post reported that the stage manager for Broadway’s South Pacific, Michael Brunner, has been arraigned for recording video of one of the actresses in her dressing room. Lincoln Center Theater has terminated his contract due to the incident.
Bye Bye Birdie opens on Broadway tonight after a very rough final dress rehearsal
They say bad dress means a good opening. If that’s true, tonight’s performance of Bye Bye Birdie will tear down the house.
Bye Bye Birdie had a LOT of trouble at last night’s dress rehearsal when the electronically controlled set wouldn’t move off the stage for a full 20 min.
John Stamos, who’s playing Albert in the production, filled the time by calling out to audience members Don Rickles and Bob Saget. The former came up on stage and spoke through the mic rigged to Stamos’ forehead, saying, “I’m really glad your crotch is not miked.” Gina Gershon also came out and obliged the request to “do something from Showgirls” by performing the staple “jazz hands to the face” move.
Gotta love when things go wrong in live theater.
Be sure to send your love and “break a leg” wishes to the cast and crew!
RUMOR: William Finn and James Lapine working on a stage musical version of Little Miss Sunshine
William Finn (25th Annual Putnum Spelling Bee, Falsettos) and James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, 25th Annual Putnum Spelling Bee, Falsettos) are rumored to be working on a stage musical adaptation of the movie Little Miss Sunshine.
The hot new Broadway baby boy, Walker Diggs, has been born
This morning, Idina Menzel (Wicked, Rent) and Taye Diggs (Rent, Carousel) welcomed a baby boy, Walker Nathaniel Diggs to the world. “Mother, father and son are all doing well.”
Join me in congratulating this amazing Broadway couple!
More Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark gossip
Apparently the title character in Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark won’t sing: the Edge decided that “a guy singing in tights can’t happen.”
This, along with earlier comments such as: “It is much more like opera than a straight musical. We’re actually not calling it a musical for that reason because we don’t want to put people off;” makes me wonder what the Edge is doing writing a Broadway musical since he doesn’t seem to be a fan of the genre.
Is it necessary to love this stuff to make a successful show? Or will he have an advantage in trying to stretch musical theater in a new direction?
There’s so much drama associated with the show – we still don’t know how the Disney aquisition of Marvel is going to affect it. Will the Disney on Broadway franchise get involved or will they let Hello Entertainment keep at the forefront?
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the next slice of news about this problem-ridden, extremely expensive show.
RUMOR: Mandy Patinkin is looking to return to Broadway in La Cage aux Folles
According to the New York Post, Tony Award winner Mandy Patinkin (Evita, Sunday in the Park with George, The Wild Party, The Secret Garden, Falsettos) is looking to take on the role of Georges in the transfer of La Cage Aux Folles.
Harvey Fierstein, who wrote the book for the musical, said of casting the role: “I can think of 20 people who could play Georges, and Mandy is right at the top of that list. First of all, he’ll sing those songs beautifully. Second, he’s a great actor. And third, I know how much he values his family, and that is what La Cage is really about—family.”
Casting is still unofficial … but we can only hope Mandy will be returning to the Great White Way!
RUMOR: Larry King’s Wife, Shawn King, Might Play Arachne in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
According to the New York Post, the wife of TV host Larry King, Shawn King, is one of two finalists being considered for the role of Arachne in Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. Shawn, a country singer whose lucky number is 30, auditioned on June 30 at 3:30 pm with the songs “Turn Off the Dark” and “Rise Above.” Were she to land the role, the show would mark her Broadway debut.
A Vacation, A Rumor, A Cast Album and A Web Site Story
A Little Vacation for Hair star Gavin Creel
Tony Award nominee Gavin Creel just announced on his blog that he “will be off with the Creel Clan chilling by a lake in Michigan” from Aug 10-17 this summer, so if you head to Hair that week, you’ll be seeing understudies Jay Armstrong Johnson or Paris Remillard as Claude.
RUMOR: Stanley Tucci to direct T.R. Knight in Lend Me a Tenor
Entertainment Weekly claims that Gray’s Anatomy star, T.R. Knight, will play Max in the Stanley Tucci directed Broadway production of Lend Me a Tenor, but no official announcement about the production has yet been made. You can bet it’ll get posted here once it is.
A New Sondheim Cast Album!
The cast album for Stephen Sondheim’s Road Show arrives in stores today (check it out on iTunes now)!
The show, which made its world premiere Off-Broadway at the Public Theater last fall with a book by John Weidman (Pacific Overtures, Assassins, Contact) and a score by Sondheim (Company, Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd, Sunday in the Park with George) and is “the story of two brothers whose quest for the American dream turns into a test of morality and judgment that changes their lives in unexpected ways.”
John Doyle (Sweeny Todd, A Catered Affair, Company) directed the production, which featured Michael Cerveris (Sweeny Todd, Assassins, Titanic, The Who’s Tommy) and Alexander Gemignani (Assassins, Sweeny Todd, Sunday in the Park with George).
The CD features the complete cast of the original Public Theater production which also included Alma Cuervo, William Parry, Claybourne Elder, Aisha de Haas, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Mylinda Hull, Mel Johnson, Jr., Orville Mendoza, Anne L. Nathan, Tom Nelis, Matt Stocke, William Youmans and Kristine Zbornik.
Order the cast album on amazon.com
And just for fun…
Collegehumor.com has created a new web muscial called Web Site Story. It’s no Prop 8: The Musical…but has some pretty good lines. Check it out here.
Film to Broadway and Broadway to Film…
Broadway to the Silver Screen…
The Tony Award wining musical, City of Angles, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel and book by Larry Gelbart, is being adapted by the original librettist and lyricist for the silver screen. Barry Levingson (Wag the Dog, Rain Man, Bugsy) will direct and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray) will provide additional music and musical direction.
Films eyeing Broadway musical adaptations…
The same producers bringing City of Angels to Hollywood will be working the other way round as well – transforming Elf, the movie starring Will Ferrell, for the Great White Way, with a book by Thomas Meehan (Hairspray, The Producers) and Bob Martin (Drowsy Chaperone) and a new score by Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin (Wedding Singer). Workshopping soon, the show is hoping to hit Broadway during the 2010 holiday season.
And they’ve got plans to adapt another film, Secondhand Lions, which starred Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, for Broadway. With a book by Rupert Holmes (Edwin Drood, Curtains) and a score by Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary, the production will be directed by Matt August, appearing on Broadway in 2011.
